Chapter 95: Special Extra: Yu Qing

After returning to Nancheng, Yu Qing had a backlog of work waiting.

While she was traveling, Tao Li had taken on several projects for clients who were willing to wait for Yu Qing’s schedule. Recently, a publishing house had also contacted her about a project on home design—they wanted to publish a book showcasing Nancheng’s design styles. Several design studios had received invitations, and Yu Qing, along with Wen Yang, were the main designers representing Yunchi Studio.

With all this piling up, Yu Qing was swamped.

Gone were the poetic days of Beihai and Yangshuo; back in Nancheng, a few days of work quickly brought her back to the grind. It was once again the typical “home-to-studio” daily commute—she was either drawing drafts or rushing between meetings with clients.

Time flew by, and in the blink of an eye, autumn arrived.

Fallen leaves danced in the wind, and the flowers lining the streets had changed with the season.

On this day, Yu Qing went to Huafu residence to visit her godson. As soon as she entered, she saw an unfamiliar man walking out of the study—he was wearing a formal suit and holding several documents, looking very refined.

Wen Yang came out from the balcony. The man greeted her politely,

“Ma’am, I’ll take my leave now.”

Wen Yang responded gently,

“Alright. Secretary Yu, take care.”

Secretary Yu?

Yu Qing raised her eyebrows, set down her bag, and moved closer to Wen Yang.

“Another one of President Fu’s secretaries? Where’s Secretary Jiang?”

Wen Yang glanced at her with a smile, pulled her over to sit on the couch, and said,

“Jiang Yue left. He went to Dongcheng.”

Yu Qing was stunned.

“When did he leave? Did he resign? Why?”

The housekeeper came over with red tea. Wen Yang picked up a cup and handed it to Yu Qing, smiling softly as she took a sip herself.

“I’m not sure either. If you’re curious, ask him yourself.”

Yu Qing held the teacup in both hands, a bit dazed.

Secretary Jiang had really been good to her—she owed him more than a few favors. But he just left, without saying a word.

She shrugged.

“I’ll ask when I get the chance. He’s worked for your husband for a long time, hasn’t he?”

Wen Yang replied with a smile,

“Yes, Secretary Jiang joined Qingzhou right after graduation, and he’s been there ever since.”

When Jiang Yue joined the company, Qingzhou was in a time of upheaval.

Before that, Fu Xingzhou hadn’t found a truly capable subordinate. Jiang Yue’s arrival changed that.

Yu Qing nibbled on the cookies Wen Yang had made and said,

“That’s a bit of a shame, then.”

Wen Yang smiled at her profile and said,

“It’s alright. The new Secretary Yu was trained by Secretary Jiang himself.”

Yu Qing gave an “Oh,” and clapped her hands.

“Where’s my godson? I’m here!”

Wen Yang helped her up and whispered,

“He’s in the bath—enjoying himself.”

Yu Qing blinked and grinned,

“Then I’ll go see how much he’s enjoying it.”

The two of them headed toward the en-suite bathroom.

Yu Qing stayed for dinner at Wen Yang’s house, then went back to her own place. She worked on some drafts for a while, and by around 10:30 PM, she started to feel sleepy.

She didn’t drink any coffee and figured she’d go to bed early.

Leaning against the headboard, her hair still carrying a faint scent of her shower, Yu Qing picked up her phone. Thinking of Jiang Yue, she tapped on his profile picture. She hadn’t typed anything yet when some memories of him surfaced in her mind.

She hadn’t paid him much attention before, but when she occasionally saw his posts on social media, they were always work-related—rarely anything about his personal life. He really fit the profile of a high-level “corporate workhorse.”

Yu Qing began typing.

Yu Qing: Secretary Jiang, I heard from Yangbao that you went to Dongcheng?

A few minutes later, he replied.

Jiang Yue: Yes, Miss Yu.

Yu Qing: Will you come back?

Jiang Yue (with a smile): Depends on whether there’s a reason to return.

Yu Qing: Did you change jobs? Fu Xingzhou let you go that easily?

Jiang Yue: Not exactly changing jobs. I just felt it was time to start something new.

Yu Qing: I see. Well, I wish you all the best.

Jiang Yue: Haha, thank you.

After chatting with Jiang Yue, Yu Qing figured that would be the end of their interactions.

But that year, on Christmas, the shopping center hosted a big Christmas carnival. Tao Li and the others all went to it.

Fu Xingzhou took Wen Yang to Hong Kong to celebrate Christmas.

Yu Qing, on the other hand, had a deadline to meet, so she stayed holed up in the studio, rushing to finish her drafts. That was when her phone rang—it was Jiang Yue.

Over the phone, he said with a cheerful tone,

“Had lunch in Hong Kong with my parents, and in the afternoon I dropped by Nancheng. COCO Center’s having a Christmas event. Miss Yu, want to come out and take a look?”

Yu Qing was caught off guard.

“Secretary Jiang, you’re in Nancheng?”

Jiang Yue replied,

“Yes, and I just saw the rest of your studio team—only you’re missing.”

Yu Qing said helplessly,

“I’m in the middle of rushing a draft.”

“Then what would Miss Yu like to eat? Everything here looks pretty good—I could buy something for you,”

Jiang Yue offered.

Yu Qing leaned over to glance out the window and saw the COCO Mall’s Christmas balloon rising—it was a Santa Claus balloon, surrounded by twinkling lights and decorations. The festive atmosphere really made people want to drop their work and join the fun.

After thinking for a moment, Yu Qing said,

“Secretary Jiang, no need to go through the trouble. I’ll come over instead. Everyone’s out having fun, and I can’t focus on drawing anymore.”

Jiang Yue chuckled lightly.

“Alright.”

Yu Qing ended the call, saved her drafts on her laptop, stood up, tidied herself up, grabbed her bag, locked the doors and windows, and headed out on foot.

The entire shopping mall was completely immersed in the Christmas spirit. It was packed with people. From a distance, Yu Qing spotted Jiang Yue—he was wearing a long wool coat and holding a Christmas-themed skewer of candied hawthorn, standing by the railing.

They made eye contact from afar. Yu Qing smiled slightly and walked over. Jiang Yue handed her the candied hawthorn and said,

“Merry Christmas, Miss Yu.”

Yu Qing reached out to take it and said as she looked at it,

“The packaging’s so pretty, I almost don’t want to eat it.”

Jiang Yue smiled.

“Then eat it after you get tired of looking at it.”

Yu Qing laughed.

Downstairs, a Christmas party was going on at a café—people were cheerfully chasing after a Santa Claus actor. Yu Qing glanced that way, then turned to Jiang Yue and asked,

“Isn’t the Christmas vibe stronger in Hong Kong? Why didn’t you stay there?”

Jiang Yue stood by the railing and tilted his head toward her with a smile tugging at his lips.

“The vibe in Nancheng is nice too. Besides, it’s been a while since I came back—figured I’d drop by.”

Yu Qing nodded.

“So Secretary Jiang also likes Nancheng?”

Jiang Yue replied,

“I liked it okay before. Now… I genuinely like it.”

Yu Qing didn’t catch the deeper meaning.

“Oh,” she said casually.

She turned to him and asked,

“What are you doing in Dongcheng now?”

The winter wind picked up and chilled the air. It blew in from behind Jiang Yue. He stood in front of her, blocking the wind, and looked down at her.

He said,

“I started a company—doing asset management.”

Yu Qing raised an eyebrow. She knew what asset management was.

“Why the sudden interest in that?”

Jiang Yue smiled slightly.

“Because I like it, so I went for it.”

Yu Qing laughed.

“Fair enough. Then I guess I can’t call you Secretary Jiang anymore. What should I call you?”

Jiang Yue looked at her.

“Call me by my name, Miss Yu. And I’ll call you Yu Qing, okay?”

Yu Qing smiled softly.

“Sure.”

Then the two walked forward to watch a dance performance. A group of kids was breakdancing—they were quite good, which drew a large crowd. With people pushing and jostling around, Yu Qing, who was wearing high heels (the pair Jiang Yue had once bought her), tried to avoid being bumped. As she moved, Jiang Yue’s hand accidentally brushed hers—it was freezing cold, as they were right at a drafty spot.

The wind blew her short hair into a mess.

Jiang Yue looked at her for a few seconds, then took off his coat and draped it over her shoulders.

Yu Qing, holding the candied hawthorn and her purse, had just dodged someone when she looked up at the dancing kids. The warmth of the coat suddenly enveloped her, along with a faint woody cologne. She was stunned and turned her head to look at Jiang Yue—he was a head taller than her, standing behind her in a black sweater.

He looked at her and smiled.

“It’s windy here.”

Yu Qing blinked, then smiled softly.

“Yeah, it’s a bit cold.”

She turned her eyes back to the children dancing.

The warmth on her shoulders and back blocked out the sharp wind. Nancheng’s wind had always felt like it could cut to the bone—but now, her fingertips slowly began to warm up, no longer icy cold.

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